carpet shark,Orectolobiformes any of more than 30 species of sharks belonging to the order Orectolobiformes, several species of which possess possessing mottled patterns on the body that are evocative of carpet designs. They are found in all oceans but are concentrated in the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions. Many species are large, but they are not considered dangerous to humans, although they may protect themselves if harmed. Some species of carpet sharks bear live young, while others lay eggs. In the family Many species of carpet sharks are bottom feeders, primarily eating mollusks and crustaceans.

Orectolobiformes contains seven families of sharks. The largest of these families, Hemiscylliidae, contains the bamboo sharks and comprises 14 species within two genera, Chiloscyllium and Hemiscyllium. The two smallest carpet shark families are composed of just one species each: Stegostomatidae contains the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum), and Rhincodontidae contains the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). The other families in the order are Brachaeluridae, the blind sharks; Parascyllidae, the collared carpet sharks; Orectolobidae, the wobbegongs; and Ginglymostomatidae, the nurse

shark (

sharks. One species of nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum

)

,

which

reaches a length of more than 4

m

metres (13 feet)

, is the only species of carpet shark found in the Atlantic Ocean. Many species of carpet sharks are bottom feeders, primarily eating mollusks and crustaceans

.

Orectolobiformes features some of the most interesting of all sharks. The whale shark is not only the largest shark but also by far the largest of all fish, averaging about 12 metres (39 feet) in length. Among the most beautifully coloured and strikingly marked sharks in the order are the necklace carpet shark (Parascyllium variolatum), the ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus), and the zebra shark. The tasseled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon) has an especially unusual appearance, with fringed lobes of skin on its head and a similar beard of lobes on its chin. Barbels (tactile sensory organs) are common features of carpet sharks. They hang near the nostrils of whale sharks and nurse sharks and are found on the throat of the aptly named barbelthroat carpet shark (Cirrhoscyllium expolitum).